Tips for Fostering a Growth Mindset in 1:1 Conversations

Performance conversations are more than evaluations—they're opportunities to inspire reflection, growth, and clarity. I've been reflecting on how we can approach these moments with greater purpose.   Too often, we dive into discussions focused solely on outcomes or metrics. But what if we paused to look deeper? What if we encouraged employees—and ourselves—to approach these moments from different vantage points: stepping back to observe like a fly on the wall, zooming out to the balcony for perspective, and then engaging with purpose on the dance floor?   This layered approach challenges us to ask meaningful questions: "What patterns am I noticing? How do my efforts align with broader goals? What could I do better?" It’s a mindset shift that transforms performance conversations into opportunities for growth, even when outcomes aren’t ideal. Here are a few practical ways to bring this perspective to life: 1. Start with Observation (Fly on the Wall): Before diving into feedback, encourage employees to reflect on their contributions objectively. Ask questions like " What moments felt like your strongest? What would you approach differently? help set a tone of self-awareness." 2. Zoom Out to the Bigger Picture (Balcony): Help employees see how their work connects to broader team and organizational goals. This shift in perspective ensures the conversation isn’t just about isolated outcomes but about long-term impact and alignment. 3. Engage with Purpose (Dance Floor): End every conversation with actionable steps and encouragement. Even when feedback is tough, leave employees with clarity and optimism. A simple affirmation like "I believe in your ability to grow from this", can turn a challenging moment into a catalyst for improvement. Performance conversations are a dance between reflection and action, but they’re also about perspective—knowing when to step back, when to zoom out, and when to engage fully. When we guide our teams to critique their own contributions—not to judge, but to grow—we unlock their potential and leave them inspired to improve. Would love to hear your perspective.

Most 1:1s suck—here’s how to fix them (And no, the answer isn’t “more meetings.”) → Stop using 1:1s for task updates—they belong in team meetings. → Focus on two things instead: psychological safety and individual growth. Most 1:1s are a missed opportunity. Instead of driving trust and performance, they become glorified status reports. This isn’t about guesswork. It’s about using a proven framework: My D.U.N.R Blueprint: Diversity – Unity – Norms – Rituals ✅ Rituals → Start with a real check-in: “How are you REALLY?” ✅ Unity → Reframe struggles as signs of growth and interconnectedness. ✅ Diversity → Highlight strengths and potential: “This is an unique value you bring” ✅ Norms → Set clear expectations for communication, risk-taking and ownership. When leaders stop treating 1:1s as status updates and start using them to build trust and growth, teams shift from compliance to commitment—from playing it safe to taking smart risks. I’ve seen this shift transform teams into high-performing powerhouses. How do you use your 1:1s—with a task focus or a growth focus? 🔔 Follow me for more insights on inclusive, high-performing teams. ___________________________________________________ 🌟 If you're new here, hi! :) I’m Susanna. I help companies build an inclusive culture with high-performing and psychologically safe teams.

If your 1:1s with your manager feel like status updates, you’re wasting your best opportunity for growth. A great 1:1 isn’t a recap. It’s a strategy session. A career checkpoint. A space to align, get support, and surface what actually matters. Here’s how to level up your 1:1s: 1. Come with a short, clear agenda. Highlight progress, blockers, and one area where you want input. Don’t wait for them to steer, lead the conversation. 2. Share impact, not just activity. Instead of “I fixed X bug,” say, “I unblocked the launch by resolving X issue, which let Y team ship on time.” 3. Surface patterns, not just problems. Instead of, “This sprint feels chaotic,” try: “I’ve noticed we’ve missed 3 sprint goals in a row, can we talk about scope planning?” 4. Make space for growth. Ask: • “What would it take to be seen as staff-level here?” • “Where should I focus if I want to expand my scope this quarter?” 5. Keep a running doc. Track what you discussed, what you committed to, and feedback you received. It’ll be gold when review season comes around. Because your manager can’t support a goal you haven’t shared. And they can’t advocate for progress they haven’t seen. Use your 1:1s wisely, and they’ll stop being routine. They’ll start accelerating your career. Help me share this post and let’s help other advance in their careers.

Most 1:1s are just status updates in disguise. If that's what yours are, your team is telling you less than they should.   A 1:1 isn't a progress report. It's a conversation. And the quality of that conversation starts with the quality of your questions. Here are 12 I teach leaders: 1️⃣ Where do you think your skills are being underused? Underutilized people become disengaged people. Action: Find one way to close that gap before your next 1:1. 2️⃣ How do you want your career to look in the next year? Career conversations belong in all 1:1s. Action: Make a commitment to their development in the meeting. 3️⃣ What opportunity do you think you aren't being given enough access to? High performers who feel unseen start looking elsewhere. Action: If you can open that door, open it. If you cannot, say why honestly. 4️⃣ Where do you think the team's biggest blind spot is? The people closest to the work can see what leadership often cannot. Action: Take it seriously even when it's uncomfortable. 5️⃣ What does a bad day at work look like for you? Recurring bad days are a system's problem. Action: Look for patterns. Then address the root. 6️⃣ Is there a relationship on the team you find difficult to navigate? This opens doors people rarely open alone. Action: Listen before you problem-solve. 7️⃣ What's something you have changed your mind about in the last 6 months? Growth shows up in updated thinking. Action: A person who can change their mind is a person who can lead through change. 8️⃣ Where do you feel most confident in your role right now? Confidence tells you where to give them more runway. Action: Stretch it into a bigger opportunity. 9️⃣ What part of your role feels unclear or undefined? Ambiguity is a performance tax you're charging them. Action: Clarify it before the meeting ends. 🔟 What skill do you want to develop in the next 6 months? Growth should be intentional. Action: Build it into their work before you leave the room. 1️⃣1️⃣ What's one thing I do as your leader that makes your job harder? Most leaders never ask this. The ones who do earn trust that lasts. Action: Don't justify or defend. Just listen and then change. 1️⃣2️⃣ What's one goal you have that has nothing to do with work? People grow in all directions. The best leaders acknowledge that. Action: Ask how their work can support that goal. The quality of your questions is a reflection of the quality of your leadership. When you get curious about your people, not just their work, everything changes. So save this list and bring it into your next 1:1. Your team will feel the difference. Which of these do you find hardest to ask? Every day inside The Leadership Boardroom, I share free leadership coaching for VP and C-suite leaders. Thousands of leaders around the world are already inside. 👉 https://lnkd.in/g2WGzder ♻️ Repost this for leaders who need better 1:1 questions. And follow me, Cicely Simpson, for daily leadership insights.

Employees don’t grow from annual reviews. They grow from consistent feedback. Most managers delay hard conversations because they do not want to be the critic. But when feedback only shows up once a year, it feels like judgment. Hard conversations get delayed. Notes pile up. And then everything lands at once. That is not development. That is overwhelm. Employees want feedback when it is consistent and clearly rooted in support. The key is building it into your routine, not saving it for performance reviews. Consistent feedback is not a soft skill. It is a leadership system. Here’s a simple framework to make constructive feedback feel natural: 1️⃣ Schedule recurring 1:1s Set biweekly meetings with a standing agenda: career development, wins, and areas for growth. 2️⃣ Prepare your talking points Write down what you want to address. Clarity creates confidence. 3️⃣ Let them go first Ask, “Where do you think you need support? Where are you excelling?” Self-awareness changes the tone of the conversation. 4️⃣ Build on their reflection If they raise the same issue you noticed, reinforce it and add your perspective. 5️⃣ Fill in the gaps carefully If something important is missing, frame it as an observation. “I want you to succeed, and I see an opportunity for growth in X.” When you show up as a coach instead of a critic, feedback becomes expected, not feared. Employees grow faster when clarity is consistent. Make development predictable. Make conversations normal. That is how trust gets built over time. What makes consistent feedback hardest for you: timing, wording, or fear of reaction? 💾 Save this for your next 1:1. ➕ Follow Rene Madden, ACC for more leadership insights.

Your primary role as a leader is to develop your team members. Providing regular, timely feedback is a necessary aspect of helping them reach their potential. But sometimes, feedback can unintentionally come across as criticism, making teams defensive rather than inspired. The difference lies in your approach. Where Leaders Go Wrong: 1) 🕛 Timing: Jumping on mistakes as they happen can make team members feel targeted. 2) 👥 Setting: Offering criticism in front of peers and in a public forum can embarrass and demoralize. 3) 🗣 Lack of Specificity: Vague feedback leaves team members confused about how to improve. Here’s how to ensure feedback is useful: 1) ⏸ Pause and Plan: Give yourself time to consider and frame the feedback. This allows you to approach the situation with a clear, constructive plan rather than a reactive comment. 2) 👨🏫 Choose the Right Setting: Feedback should be a private conversation, not a public spectacle. This creates a safe space for open dialogue. 3) 🎯 Be Specific and Actionable: Clearly articulate what needs improvement and offer specific, actionable steps to achieve this. Set benchmarks and measurements for growth and follow-up. This shows your commitment to their growth. 4) 🚩 Focus on the Behavior, Not the Person: Emphasize that the feedback is about actions and outcomes, not personal attributes. This encourages a growth mindset. 5) 🗣 Invite Dialogue: Feedback is a two-way street. Encourage your team members to share their perspectives, fostering a collaborative approach to improvement. Next time you have feedback to give, apply these 5 steps. You’ll find defensiveness shifts to receptivity and results. #feedback #growth #communication #leadership #executivecoaching

Most 1:1 meetings are just status updates in disguise.  But what if they became the most transformative thirty minutes of your team’s week? Great leadership isn't about having all the answers.  It’s about having the courage to ask the right questions. We often get caught up in the "What."  What is the deadline?  What is the status?  What is the next task? But the "How" and the "Why" are where the real growth happens.  Think about the last time a mentor asked you: "Where are you stuck right now?" (Not "Why aren't you done?") "How are you actually feeling?" (Beyond the "I'm fine" surface). "Am I supporting you in the right way?" (Taking accountability for their success). It’s about shifting the focus from the project to the person.  It’s about clearing the path instead of just pointing at the destination.  It’s realizing that a small pivot in a 1:1 today...  Can prevent a massive burnout tomorrow. The quality of your leadership is defined by the quality of the questions you ask.  When you stop monitoring and start mentoring, you transform a workplace into a community of growth. Which of these 10 questions would you find most helpful to hear from your manager this week? Let’s share some perspective below! 👇💬

If you’ve ever had a team member say, “That’s not my job,” you know how frustrating it can be. But here’s the hard truth: that mindset isn’t just their fault—it’s a reflection of the culture we’ve created as leaders. When leaders unknowingly reinforce 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗱 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀, people play it safe instead of stepping up. Learning new skills feels like extra work instead of an opportunity. The team leans too much on a few high performers while others disengage. And when leaders try to fix it, many make the mistake of 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗗𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗽 I’ve seen leaders react with frustration: • “That’s not up for discussion—just do it.” • “We all have to do things we don’t like.” • “If you can’t adapt, you won’t last here.”    But forcing people doesn’t create engagement—it kills it. The more we push, the more they resist. People need to see 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 in growth, or they’ll reject it. 𝗗𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱: 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 Great teams don’t operate with a “stay in your lane” mentality. They embrace growth, adaptability, and shared responsibility. But that starts with how we lead. 𝟭. 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 → 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 If I don’t model a growth mindset, why would my team? If I act like learning is an inconvenience, they will too. In my book, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘮, I talk about the 𝗪𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗲 principle—the best teams don’t just do their jobs, they help each other win. Leadership is about creating an environment where people see growth as the key to success, not as extra work. 𝟮. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 → 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗣𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 • Reframe the expectation: “𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘣𝘴—𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.” • In 1-on-1s, ask: “𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?” • Recognize and celebrate those who step up to learn something new. 𝟯. 𝗣𝘂𝘁 𝗜𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 → 𝗧𝗵𝗲 ‘𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲’ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 Pick a skill your team depends on and ask, “𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳?” Then, have employees teach each other in a 15-minute session. It’s a simple way to create a culture where people 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁. How do you encourage your team to embrace growth instead of resisting it? Let me know in the comments.

If your one-on-ones are primarily status updates, you're missing a massive opportunity to build trust, develop talent, and drive real results. After working with countless leadership teams across industries, I've found that the most effective managers approach 1:1s with a fundamentally different mindset... They see these meetings as investments in people, not project tracking sessions. Great 1:1s focus on these three elements: 1. Support: Create space for authentic conversations about challenges, both professional and personal. When people feel safe discussing real obstacles, you can actually help remove them. Questions to try: "What's currently making your job harder than it needs to be?" "Where could you use more support from me?" 2. Growth: Use 1:1s to understand aspirations and build development paths. People who see a future with your team invest more deeply in the present. Questions to explore: "What skills would you like to develop in the next six months?" "What parts of your role energize you most?" 3. Alignment: Help team members connect their daily work to larger purpose and meaning. People work harder when they understand the "why" behind tasks. Questions that create alignment: "How clear is the connection between your work and our team's priorities?" "What part of our mission resonates most with you personally?" By focusing less on immediate work outputs and more on the human doing the work, you'll actually see better performance, retention, and results. Check out my newsletter for more insights here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #profoliosai #resume #jobstrategy #leadershipdevelopment #teammanagement

There’s a shift happening in how we think about learning at work. For a long time, "learning" meant "ergh another thing to do" or stepping away from the day-to-day. Now the focus is shifting. Not more learning, but learning that’s built into the rhythm of work itself. It’s the real-time stuff that helps people notice what’s working, what’s not, and what to try next. The debrief after a messy meeting. The pattern you catch in your team’s Slack thread. The question a manager asks that changes how someone thinks. That’s where growth actually happens - in moments that already exist - if we’re paying attention. I think the real progress comes when work and learning aren’t two separate things. When people are building new skills as they solve work problems. When reflection becomes part of how things get done, not just when things go sideways. So how do you start moving toward that with your team? To design systems, habits, and conversations that make those moments easier to spot and share? 💬 Build microlearning into your 1:1s. Add a quick learning and reflection moment to each one. It takes the pressure off leaders to have all the answers and builds autonomy and accountability for development. Honestly, if you just restructured your 1:1s this way (and did nothing else), you’d see a massive shift in how people feel about their learning opportunities. 🤝 Equip leaders with skills to coach in the flow. Asking a question before giving a response. Quick feedback, real examples, and reflection prompts that connect learning to what’s happening right now. 📈 Link learning to real outcomes. Don’t just track completion, ask "What’s changed because of it?". It might be smoother teamwork, faster problem-solving, or better decision-making, that’s where you’ll see the impact of learning in the work itself. I've seen this witht the teams I work with: when learning connects to the work that actually matters, it stops feeling like another task and more like progress in real time. McKinsey & Company recently wrote about this shift. It’s a pretty good read for anyone thinking about what learning could look like for their team: 👉 Leading in a world of merged work and learning: https://lnkd.in/gs3S2y8w #development #peopleskills #workadvice #microlearning